


The Battle for Mikea

by N448



Category: Super Mario Wiki RPF
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Beginning is more or less Guild Wars Prophecies, Charr (Guild Wars), Gen, Refugees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-23
Updated: 2011-09-05
Packaged: 2019-11-18 23:42:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18128066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N448/pseuds/N448
Summary: Initially inspired by the MMORPG Guild Wars. It takes place in a fantasy world of might and magic, following the immigrating Userpedia colony, a subcommunity of the major city of the now-destroyed Mario Wiki's Great Library, as they search for a new home away from their destroyed lands.





	1. Prologue: The End

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably not going to mean a lot to many people - this is a story imported from the now-defunct Userpedia wiki (a Mario Wiki fan-wiki), about the Userpedia community. I hadn't written a longform story like this since, until Begin Again (a Splatoon fic, see my profile).
> 
> Regardless, I wanted to preserve it in case the site one day went away.

Sprawling utopias! An active community! A library with the most comprehensive, high-quality books sentient beings could provide! These were the things the people that called themselves Userpedians had once desired to have.

...And they still did, as its inhabitants sat in their tents-and-campfires affair, sitting in the shadows of the humongous Grand Mario Wiki Library, the most, well... ‘grand’ city for many miles around. The air was clean, the creatures of the region didn't harm the environment, and it showed; the region of Mikea was lush and green with foliage, a living wonder as no place looked quite as ‘perfect’ as its members thought it to be.

In a way, the people there were there because they were fed up with the Great Library’s policy: “No Fiction”. At the time of the Userpedians’ striking out on their own, it had gotten to such extremes that anyone circulating handwritten stories or information on their games were punished and the offending materials seized, for fear they “might get mixed up with the factual information”.

And so they had gone their separate ways, though it was not without sadness, friends separated, some not thinking they were ready for the outside world. But it was through perseverance that led them this far.

* * *

It is on a warm summer night, the last day of sheltered life that our story begins, the Userpedians taking the opportunity to sit back and relax, watch the stars, smell the roses... And separate from them, up on a nearby hill, were the Defenders, those who protected the community and its own collection of material from the animalistic, brutal creatures that sometimes preyed upon them. Sometimes, the Heroes of Userpedia would sit among them, relaying details of their guard shift, discussing fiction ideas.

It was only rarely that an attack would come upon the group, but the Defenders and Heroes operated well to dispatch them. But they had not had an attack for many weeks. Had the creatures that terrorized them finally left?

A party was thrown that night, and as many of the citizens danced and ate, some of them were in a separate group, sparring, training to become Defenders, while the Heroes and their leader watched nearby, taking interest. Wooden swords and shields clashed as warriors learned both the basics of offense and defense; Those wishing to defend from afar practiced with their bows and arrows, trying to hit practice targets; the resident monk showed those following his teachings about the arcane healing powers accessible to them; some, unmonitored, worked on their elemental abilities... Those who wished to defend their community, selflessly and with honor, did so among the eyes of existing Defenders, judging them silently.

While it was ironic that the Userpedians’ world would be shattered on a day of great celebration, it also turned out to be their saving; as without warning, the first meteors and flaming rocks of the Great Virus soon began to rain down upon the precious lands, sending dirt and debris into the air.

It was through the direction of the leader of the community, and his Heroes and Defenders, that saved them all. Though there was of course some panic, but while the devastation started around them, setting the grass and trees aflame, the Userpedians quickly packed up their tents and their things, glad they had seen well enough to bring a backpack each from the Great Library.

While some carried the tents, the Defenders held the area as best they could while the last two trainees, two of the stronger ones in their group, took up the task of carrying the heavy Fiction Vault, the heavy chest seemingly made of mahogany and enchanted with some ancient magics that kept the community’s output safe.

And as they left the area, the final people to leave their old site, still populated with things they had to leave behind, saw the unthinkable happen.

It was as if it happened in slow motion. A bright, massive light seemed to emanate from the clouds, a pure bright orange glow that came from the heavens.

And then it appeared, bursting through the clouds. It was a large flaming meteor, so bright the last Userpedians couldn't look at it directly.

One moment the Great Library was standing tall. The next it was unrecognisable, as the meteor had shattered and crushed the building like a tin can, quickly becoming buried under broken rock and flames.

The Userpedians just stood there, mouths agape. But they realized that they had to get out of here, lest they meet the same grisly fate. And so they quickly left their old home, carrying the chest with all their strength.

* * *

The group travelled for hours, as they tried to search for shelter with the firestorm erupting all about them. It seemed hopeless, as everything they had seen was burning, or crumbled or destroyed in some other fashion.

In desperation, an emergency council was called, with the refugees huddled in a cave they encountered as the sky began to fade (plumes of ash and smoke were quickly enveloping the sky, turning it an eerie red), away from the burning foliage, where eventually it was decided that they would have to seek new land, away from the dead wasteland their land would become.

But where? There was a nearby province, with people that could supply them with the materials to rebuild their homes, but it would require passing through to the snowy mountains separating Scribbalon from it. The trainees, and the expert Defenders and Heroes would need to take up their weapons and fight for the right to settle.

And so, that cave became their temporary base of operations while they took shelter and plotted for their escape, hoping for the hell to cease...


	2. Hope

“Wow.”

Two humans sat outside the small, populated cave their group now lived in. They wore blue clothing - one light, the other dark. They sat quietly.

It was two days after the devastation ripped through the countryside and set everything aflame. Everything was either barren, charred, dead or still burning. The ground they sat on was already scorched, entirely grass-less and cleared of flammable materials, so they knew the fire could not burn there.

The cave itself wasn't as big as they liked, but it was enough for everybody to fit in and still have some space. The tension inside was very palpable, you could smell the fear as everybody hoped they would survive. Some paced around nervously while others cried silently for mercy. Others still tried to lighten the mood with idle chatter, interrupted by the occasional scrape of steel as those who were willing to fight sharpened their blades.

Ruby, sitting at the mouth of the cave near his Defender friend, who was in a light blue outfit (Ruby wore dark blue, his favorite color) stared off into the orange blaze. Soon it would be time to send the Defenders off on another expedition to find food. They had come back empty-handed three times now. Was it hopeless? “No,” Ruby said to himself, shaking his head. “We must persevere. Something will save us in the end.” He did give the Userpedian masses credit though; many of them carried food that they would hold onto for lunch, or dinner, that came in very handy for the situation. Long-lasting stuff, preserved things.

A long, drawn-out sigh escaped his lips. He looked over to his friend and said simply, “What now?”

Valentin, close friend of Ruby, looked up from tuning his guitar. “Not much we _can_ do until all this destruction dies down. Unless you want to try and send everyone through the flames.”

“Don’t joke like that...”

“I’m not. We can’t leave this cave until there’s nothing left for the fire to burn. If we try, we’ll be burned to death.”

Ruby sighed again. Valentin was right - there was no clear path to safety outside the cave, and it could take days, or weeks, before the final flame extinguished itself. He needed to chill out a bit. At least they were safe here.

Ruby took out his guitar and began to play, trying to remember the tune as he strummed. Valen, recognizing the tune, smiled and began to play too, the duo of unplugged electric guitars wafting their sound down into the cave, providing background music to the bustling underground.

* * *

The air inside was surprisingly cool! The residents enjoyed it, but couldn't understand how it was so refreshing. While it could not protect them from the dry, hot air all the time, something was still cooling the air.

On the other hand, a girl with seemingly green skin was growing tired. Every now and then, she would perform some sort of ritual and spread the moisture and cool air around the cave. However, she was feeling to run low on her elemental energies, and she wanted to rest.

“Sit down, Bean,” said her taller brother nicknamed ‘Plum’, “you’ll wear yourself out.”

Bean nodded quietly and sat down, uncorking a bottle of freshwater she had kept in her pocket and taking a quick swig. “Do you think we’ll ever make it out alive?” she said, her voice quivering as she bundled up her hair.

Plum sighed, and sat close, comforting her. “Don’t be silly... Ruby and the rest will make sure we get out of here and find somewhere safe... the way things were.” He looked up to the mouth of the cave, the guitar music breaking through to his attention. “I hope.”

* * *

As the two people at the mouth of the cave played, ‘venting’ through their music, one of them had to stop to wipe sweat that had seemed to appear at his brow. “Man,” Ruby said as he inspected the sweat in his palm, wondering where it was coming from, “It was cooler just before, where’s all this heat coming from?”

Something clicked in his head. “Is it cooler underground?”

Valentin looked behind him into the cave. “Shall we take a look?” They both climbed to their feet and slowly descended, the blaze outside making dancing shadows out of them as the flickers lit up the cave.

Valen shook his head. “It gets us away from the fire, but it’s still warm down here. Though...” He took a few deep breaths of the air. “I think there’s a bit of moisture in here.”

“What, water? But all the water must be dried up by now.”

“Damn,” Ruby said, clenching a fist, then unclenched it. “If we did have access to water though, we might be able to better feed everyone.”

“Er, Ruby?”

“Yeah Valen?”

“If we had water we’d clear a path for all of us too.”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s true. Sorry, I've been putting survival first. But where would we head?”

“Well... why don’t you send out a scouting party?” Valentin grinned. “I could use the exercise, there’s nothing to do in here except talk to young boring people.”

Ruby turned to look into his friend’s face. They had been friends for many years, and had helped each other out. In his eyes, Valentin had fully earned his rank as Higher Defender, and was glad that while that rank commanded respect, it did not go to his head. He was a good man, when you got to know him.

“Valen... You've been there to help me out for many years. And, in a way, I guess I owe you for keeping me sane.” He rested a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t go get yourself killed, alright? Things wouldn't be the same without you, pal.”

Valentin smiled. He wouldn't let his leader down. “Thanks sir. Ruby.”

“I’ll meet you out at the Mouth with some volunteers.”

* * *

Sure enough, when the dark-clothed Ruby emerged from inside the Userpedia camp, he had brought two recruits with him. One was carrying a longsword, wearing black and gray painted armor, and the other recruit carried a wooden bow by his side, personalised with ornate carvings. The latter was younger, and less experienced, but knew how to kill. In theory, at least. Hopefully they would not need to, but the world out there was unpredictable now.

Valentin set off with these effective Redshirts, cloth masks on to keep the smoke away from their respiratory system, staying clear from the wildfires but stepping around the much smaller flames, those coming from a blackened tree for example. Everything the three saw was on fire or dead, or simply not green.

He spotted a small hill in the distance, simply brown and rocky, and ordered the two there, being careful not to walk into the flame. It was slow-going, but a bit easier than Valen had thought - not everywhere was on fire, and some places were simply extinguished from lack of food for the fire.

They did reach the hill at the end, and as they began to climb its pockmarked, hot face, Valentin realised - this was one of the meteors that had landed! It was big! Not massive, but still impressive.

Valentin reached the top first, having the most stamina, and surveyed the area around. In the distance, he saw, above the flicker and heat of the flame, the cave they had been packed into. All of them looked around, searching for some possible exit from this perpetual nightmare.

Hmm, Valen thought to himself, wondering what direction they had travelled in after the initial disaster. The road they had followed to that cave was roughly pointing north, he understood. So, he looked north, beyond the cave. Seemed to be desolate there, too. But, he also noticed there were less flame in that direction... why was that?

The swordsman, who introduced himself as “Nin Ji” earlier, spoke up. “Let’s head up that way, looks like there are people to help us!” He pointed north-east with his sword, the blade just beside Valen’s right arm, which caused him to step away, then slap him.

“Watch it, you could cut somebody’s head off with that!” He squinted and pointed in the direction of where Ji was pointing.

Indeed, there did seem to be some life apart from the Userpedians in this burning land. He couldn't see much... but he did recognize one figure moving about the flames in the far distance... orange... bulky. That’s all he could make out. Hell, everything here was either orange or brown, he’d probably fit in great. But there was something about the figure that seemed menacing.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” concluded Valen, looking back to the cave. “Let’s report back to Ruby with our findings.”

The trip back was uneventful, thankfully. There was no more sign of the mysterious figure. As the light faded from the skies and the flame’s flicker became that much more pronounced, there was less worry from the Defenders and Heroes. Ruby was dubious, but pleased - if the lands north were less ‘on fire’, perhaps they could settle there.

There was still the problem of clearing the path north, however, which WAS still on fire. A blast of cool air rushed past Ruby’s face, in the dark occupied cave, which seemed like a revelation. And it was: it seemed that Valentin was not the only elementalist around here. He would have to find that person in the morning and see just how much power they had. He passed into sleep shortly, satisfied that they would eventually find a way out of this situation, for the better.

If everything went perfect, that is.


	3. And Studios

If there was an auditorium in the Userpedia refugee cave, Ruby would have used it. But, as everyone crowded around to hear what he had to say, he decided it would do.

“People of Userpedia!” he called out, hoping everyone would hear him. “In the midst of these events that have befallen us, your fellow peers need you! Some of our number have proven that they will assist you, come what may.”

Ruby paused. He thought to himself for a moment. Was he hitting home the patriotism point too much? Hmm... perhaps, he decided, but the situation called for it. “But I believe that there are still some people studying the arcane arts: healers; elementals; even those possibly dealing in the art of necromancy.” He noted some people were nervously looking around at the mention of the dark art.

“If you can assist us in any way, then please, come and see us. With our combined might and power...” He extended an arm to the crowd slowly, fist clenched. He didn't know why, he just hoped it would get the point across. “... then we _will_ be able to make it through this troubling time.”

Ruby smiled. He was sure that he had gotten the point across. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. You may be at ease.”

He turned and left to go speak with one of the fellow Heroes.

* * *

Plums found Bean a few minutes later, having squeezed herself into a corner as if trying to hide. “What are you doing, sis?”

“I know what you’re going to say, and I don’t want to do it. I’ll die out there.”

“Huh? Why do you say that?”

Bean looked worryingly toward the cave mouth. “It’s dangerous out there. Everything’s on fire. I’m going to burn to death.” She sniffled.

“No you aren't. Come on... you have that water ability, remember?” Plum reached a hand out for her. “Come on up to the outside with me. I’ll show you what it’s like.”

It was only after a few minutes of consoling that Bean was found just under the shadow of the cave mouth, looking out into the dead land. Most things having been burned away or blackened, the fires were starting to go out.

Bean stared. This was proof that her old life was gone. “Oh my god...”

Plum rested a hand on her shoulder. “Just think... keep practicing with your water ability, and maybe you could help rebuild this.”

“But... how?”

“You could help the trees and grass to regrow by giving them water... and you could stop the rest of the fires. Right now, the Userpedians depend on you to help put out the fires. Then we could move somewhere where things could go back to how they used to be. ‘’You could be our saviour, Bean.’’”

Bean blinked, suddenly feeling scared. Savior? Now that was too much. “I’ll... have to think about it. I really want to see us away from this place too, bro, but I’m not sure I could handle the responsibility.”

Plum simply nodded. Perhaps when she was like this, this was the best result he could get. “Alright. Let’s go back inside.”

* * *

Inside the underground camp was madness, the crowd of Userpedians loud as they talked to friends who were signing up for Defender duties. Ruby had his hands full. He didn't need so many recruits! What use was a warrior when they would still burn going through the flames? And where was that mysterious water elemental?

The last of the recruits went back to doing their own thing and Ruby let out a sigh of relief, making his way over to the Heroes’ private tent. Valentin looked up as the dark-clothed leader made his way over to a seat near him. “Five bucks they won’t help until it suits them.”

“I’m sure some of them have good intentions.”

“They will have to prove that for themselves.” Valen sighed and closed his eyes. “We’re just fine as we are. How are you going to find this person anyway? IF they exist?”

“I don’t know, I’ll admit... I just have this gut feeling. They've got to be around, I tell you, they've got to.”

It was at that time that Guy appeared at the tent flap. He wore a red hood, and a maroon full-body robe. Apparently it wasn't uncomfortable to walk in. He too was a Hero, but had earned that rank without combat. He was loyal to Userpedia, and had surpassed expectation. Lack of combat aside, his prized weapon was still his scythe.

He looked worried, and Ruby and Valentin could hear a commotion outside. “Gentlemen,” Guy began. “Ruby, you won’t believe who just turned up.”

“Who?” The Hero stood up and made for the door, only to step back when the man in the immaculate black suit, ginger hair, and green tie stepped into the tent. He was supposed to be dead, but here he was in front of them; Steve, the successful leader of the Grand Mario Wiki Library. One leg of his formal pants was rolled up, revealing a basic splint as it became obvious that leg was broken. His face was bruised, and it seemed he had definitely been bleeding at some point. Other than that, there was no telling what other injuries he had sustained.

Steve made his way over to the table and sat, dismissing Guy. Yes, despite the two community’s rivalries, the Userpedians still held some respect for Steve, being the father of the community that spawned them. He had, in the past, appointed Ruby as a liaison to the Userpedians back in the past, but he continued to serve both communities... until the Library’s destruction.

And so, Steve began to talk. “Ruby Doo! Rooben! Rodney Rube! The Ruby Cube! Rubyrules!”

Valentin was confused. Ruby said to him, “Don’t worry, it’s standard procedure.” To Steve he said, “Nice to see you again Steve. How on earth did you escape?”

“I didn't, I was launched from my office from the force of the impact.”

“Oh.”

Same old Steve, Ruby thought. No adventure would be complete without him.

“It’s a nice operation you got here, Stoob,” Steve said. Ruby smiled at the mention of the old name. “I see you have a guild of fighters too. Listen, Rubyx, I think there are people still in the Library’s ruins. Also I need my music collection back from the announcer system. And you’re going to help.”

Valentin chipped in. “We’re going to Hell? I know I’m not that high on God’s list, but...”

“No, help. Assist, aid...”

“Oh, okay then.”

“...work with, be of service to, give assistance...”

Ruby: “Steve?”

“...save the bacon, get out of a tight spot...”

“Steve, we get it,” Ruby said with a chuckle.

“Great. How many capable people do you have around here?”

“Oh, plenty. In terms of useful persons... about four, five? About five active people.”

“How many can withstand fire?”

“Eh... what?”

Steve shifted a bit in his seat, and produced a small pile of cold ashes from his pocket. “Stooby, do you know what happens when a building full of flammable material catches fire?”

“What is that...?”

“This? This is all that’s left of my desk.”

Ruby simply stared. He had only been called to Steve’s office once in the past, but he definitely remembered the huge work desk that took up a wall of his office. “My god...”

“Exactly. When that meteor landed, you can sure as hell bet it set the whole place alight.”

Ruby sighed. “We’ll put together some kind of search and rescue team and do what we can.” He paused. “I should tell you though, we are planning to move away from this place soon, after the fires stop. That said, if anybody’s still alive in there, they are welcome to come join us.”

“Thanks, Roob. I knew I could count on you.” Steve stood up, on his good foot, and made to leave. He turned around. “Oh, Ruby?”

“Yes, sir?”

“If at all you can find ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’, that would be awesome.” He grinned, and disappeared behind the tent flap.

* * *

It was just after midday when Ruby assembled the Search and Rescue team. It consisted of Guy, having been a liaison between communities in the past; Steve, wondering why there were not other people willing to go into burning buildings; and Ruby himself, partly because he felt it was his duty to.

Ruby pulled the healing staff from its position in the Heroes’ tent and held it in his hands, feeling its mystical energies fill him. He smiled, and held it in his hand. He would need to tap into those energies, to make sure they would come to no harm. There was no weapon for Steve, but it didn't seem right for him to own one.

They double-, then triple-checked they had the necessary equipment (though they had no proper armor to protect themselves from the elements), and then set off, the Defenders watching silently.

Near the mouth of the cave, Plum and Bean watched them leave. Plum looked over at his sister. “You should probably go with them... They will need you.”

“But I’m scared...”

“I know... but you need to face that fear. Ruby can protect you. But... you do need to tell them.”

Bean looked up into her brother’s eyes. They were warm, ablaze with hope for his sister. He honestly believed she could do this.

She sighed. “...Alright. But if I die, I swear I’m going to haunt you.” She stuck her tongue out at him, she wasn't sure why, and took a few steps forward. “Take care, bro!” She yelled, and ran off in the direction of Ruby’s group.

Plum smiled. He hoped that she would realize that she could overcome her worries.

Then he prayed for her safety, and walked back into the cave.


	4. Heart of Destruction

Not a few days ago it was like a monument to perseverance. It stood tall and proud, its users happy to work there.

Now it was a broken city, mangled and twisted from its meeting with the meteor that destroyed it. The roof that had covered it and protected the Grand Library from the weather, so they said, was now crumpled, its jagged edges jutted downwards into the Library where the impact was made.

Most of the building did seem to be still on fire, judging from the plumes of smoke rising from the ceiling. Ruby swallowed. It was an ominous feeling inside him, that told him he would have to be very, very careful.

He looked over at Steve, then at Guy. “Are you guys sure you want to do this?”

Guy shook his head. “No. But it’s our duty. We can only do our best.”

Steve seemed ready to go, too. So Ruby and Guy held on tighter to their weapons as the search-and-rescue team began to circle the building, looking for an entrance.

The main gates turned out to be in alright shape, though its doors had been broken off. The security checkpoint, however, was running off some other kind of energy, and had not been disabled by the blast. It was standalone, perhaps?

Steve reached for his pocket and pulled out his wallet, extracting his credentials, and stepped up to the gate. The main terminal was hooked up to a card scanner and the alarm system, in case of system tampering or banned credentials. Steve proceeded to insert his key-card into the scanner, which caused the screen above to light up.

`PORPLEMONTAGE`  
PROPRIETOR  
PROCEED TO PRINT SCAN

The gate allowed him to pass through to the next terminal, which lit up automatically. This terminal only lit up when staff members identified, to keep their extra access clearances from being used by outside parties. It was a thumbprint and retinal scan, and Ruby watched as Steve proceeded to use the retinal scanner, pressing his thumb against the fingerprint scanner. The terminal lit up green, and he was allowed through.

Ruby and Guy also went through this process, their old credentials (“STOOBEN ROOBEN, BUREAUCRAT” and “MARIOGUY1, AUTOPATROLLED”) lighting up on the screen, though Guy did not have to access the other security terminal. And so, they all stepped through into the heart of the burning building, looking around them.

It was a mess. All of the library’s records were gone, charred remains in its place. Many things were still on fire however, such as the snack bar on the second floor and even the vines that wrapped around the ruined ceiling that some patroller had grown to “spruce the place up”.

“Goodness...” Steve looked around. His pride and joy was gone. Oh, and the Grand Library too.

Guy gulped. “Do you think anyone is still alive?”

Ruby sighed, and frowned. “I don’t think so... but let’s look. I’d hate myself if we left and found out we left somebody to die in here.”

They agreed to split up and search the many stories of the library, as it was unsure how much the flames would spread. Steve agreed to search the administrative floors, while Ruby would look around the first and second floors, and Guy the third and fourth.

The burning, twisted wreck provided many a challenge for those on the higher floors, as they all would discover. Walkways collapsed, giant gaping holes on the floors, and some of the flora had fallen as well, adding to the blazing mess.

Guy made sure to step around the fires, keeping the robe tightly wrapped around him, and was starting to think his decision to come up here was a bad idea. He lifted the dragging robes off the floor, carrying them in his arms as he tried to make sure they did not catch on fire. He hoped somebody was still alive here, but did not believe anyone would be.

* * *

“Oh god oh god oh god oh god.”

Bean stood near the entrance, looking over the burning Library. She still couldn't believe her friends would go into it, which inevitably meant she would have to follow them. She was scared, frightened. Maybe it was still the shock of having her life flipped, turned upside down. Or maybe it was because the Gods were terrible at writing a scared character.

Nonetheless, she knew she had to tell Ruby eventually. She’d have to follow him in there. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She stepped up to the terminal, and extracted her used key-card. The terminal read the card, rang up “BEAN, MEMBER” and let her through.

The library, she was surprised to discover, was not the hellish abyss of destruction she thought would be on the inside. But she understood that Ground Zero was not a safe place to be. So she looked around, and began walking through the main lobby, looking for someone, anyone.

* * *

One of the things Steve noticed, on his trek to the upper levels of the Grand Library to recover documents (and maybe, just maybe some staff if they were still alive), was that if anybody did die in the Library, it certainly didn't seem that way. No bodies or corpses anywhere. It was... rather curious, actually. He continued on his way, climbing up broken rails, and staircases on his way to the administrative levels.

And then he noticed someone staring at him on the walkway. He noticed because he passed through them, and he experienced a suddenly cold, shivery feeling. He spun around.

The spirit standing before him, an ethereal blue form, was undoubtedly Ralph, the chief editor of the news pieces that made it into what was the Grand Library’s internal newspaper. In life he wore green clothing and his signature hat, but while he did so here, there was no color to his body but the ghostly tinge.

Steve’s attention was so focused on the shimmering spirit of Ralph that he did not see an orange figure pad into his office, on the other side of the walkway.

* * *

Ruby whirled around him, seeing the mass of spirits walking about him. Not very long ago, as he searched between the shelves and rooms for signs of life to no available, he saw a single spirit walking around at the far side of the room. And one by one there seemed to be more and more ghostly figures walking about. But now there appeared to be a crowd of spirits around, the representation of the Grand Library's former populace. It was hard to notice, but Ruby did see that all of the spirits walking around seemed to carry a ball and chain around their leg. Bound spirits, perhaps? None of the spirits bore any clue as to what brought them back to existence, however.

The announcement system crackled to life. Ruby looked up, glad that Steve had made it up to the Administrative office. He was surprised that the system still worked, although the wires did sound quite frayed. But he wasn't expecting the animal voice that came on the air. It was deep and new; he didn't recognize it at all.

“Humans,” it said. The spirits, Ruby noticed, stopped and looked upward. “You are no longer welcome upon these premises. This building is hereby claimed in the name of th-... You have no business knowing." A pause. "You shall now leave and never return, upon pain of death. You have been warned.” The announcer clicked off.

Ruby looked cautiously at the stairway upward, and began to ascend. He would find Guy and Steve and confront this... this thing, who had the nerve to banish them from what rightfully belonged to Steve.

Whoever or whatever it was, it had a lot of explaining to do.


	5. Threat

Guy was yelling out for help.

Why? The sleeve of his arm was on fire.

Why was his arm on fire? He’d tripped while looking for survivors on a dangerous floor.

Why did he trip? Well... the Gods couldn't watch _everything_.

Guy wasn't yelling out because his skin was being burned. Indeed, as the cloth burned away, it would be revealed that his right arm was mechanical, rigged by a master engineer in the Grand Library. Instead, the young robed figure was worried that the flamed would catch the rest of him on fire. He rather drastically took his scythe, and began to sever the arm of his robe from the rest of him. Cutting through the sewing, the material fell to the ground, consumed in flames.

The Hero sighed, holding his scythe in both hands. He would have to get a new robe soon, he covered his body for a reason. He was glad, however, that Ruby already knew... and he wondered why Ruby was rushing up the staircase in such a hurry.

“Guy!” The hero in dark blue ran up to him, and stopped to catch his breath. “Did you hear it?”

“‘It’? All I can hear is the flames.”

“Okay, well, somebody...” Ruby drifted off as he noticed Guy’s metallic arm visible. “Are... you okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry man, I’m fine.” Guy looked like he wanted to get off the subject quick. “So who’s somebody?”

“Huh? Oh, right.” If there was ever a moment for a fictional anime sweat-drop, this would be it. “Somebody’s holed themselves up in the upper levels and claimed the building. We gotta go deal with it and tell him not to mess with us humans.”

“Whuh? What do you mean?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m fairly sure he /isn't/ human.”

“Ah. Wait, what?”

“Look, I’ll tell you more when we get up there. Let’s go find Steve.”

* * *

Bean rushed through the lanes of books, hidden behind books about hey did you see that new Mario game out. When the spirits had appeared she had hidden under the receptionist’s desk, out of sight. But when her eyes spotted the person she needed to talk to, Ruby, heading upstairs, she took her chances and began to run after him.

She reached the stairs and jumped a few steps as she rushed up to catch him, but a resounding roar of flame made her turn back for a moment. a huge stack of wood and paper that had not been there before had landed on the ground floor and had caught, sending plumes of smoke into the air, making her cough. She fell to the ground as the smoke spread over the building. She thought she heard footsteps, but couldn't tell for sure. Suddenly though, she was yanked to her feet by someone.

“Bean! What are you doing here?” Ruby yelled over the noise.

“I... I had something important to tell you...”

“Well, tell me on the way up, I guess you know what the situation is.” He began to rejoin Guy in running up to the next staircase up.

Bean joined them, weaving a little spell with her miniature staff that she kept handy for spells. Instantly Guy, Ruby and Bean all felt the effects of it, as if they had been soaked in water. Both males whirled back and stared at her.

“...I see,” Ruby said in a quiet awe. They continued up the stairs to the administrative levels, where Steve would surely be. “Why didn't you tell us?”

“...I was scared...” ._.;

“Well.. we’ll deal with this later. Come on, we have somebody to deal with.”

* * *

Minutes later, the group of four stood in front of the doorway to Steve’s office. They all didn’t quite know what to expect. They knew nothing of who or what was in that room.

Ruby tried the door. It wouldn't budge. “Locked,” Ruby assumed.

But when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me, as the door was thrown open from the inside, knocking the healer to the floor.

The creature was... orange. It stood on two legs, and looked like some sort of feral cat, armored. Two bone-white horns protruded from his skull, pointing backward; he looked like he could tear a man into pieces. It carried a staff with it, one paw currently resting on the head of the magical, woven branch as the butt of the staff rested on the ground.

Oddly, the cat creature was adorned with a sort of headwrap that slipped over his eyes, rendering him blind... at least, so the humans standing before him thought. Yet, it seemed, as it gazed right into their faces, it used some other form of sight to see them.

It grunted, then spoke in a deep voice. “Foolish humans. You stand before your very doom! Surely, you wish to perish by my claws...”

Ruby stood up, shaking off his slight dizziness from the attack. He unsheathed his staff and held it as threateningly as he could at the creature. “...Sir... we find you guilty of treason and mass homicide. We’re going to have to place you under arrest. If you could just come with us please..” He reached out to forcefully grab the creature’s claw, but he never made it that far, as the creature suddenly swung out the thick head of the communing staff it carried, catching Ruby in the stomach, forcing the wind out of his body and sending him to the floor again.

Guy, already rushing toward the opponent with his scythe, called out, “To arms!” as he swung the blade toward the creature, but the cat-like thing jumped backward, the blade slicing through the air instead. Then it rushed forward, staff swinging. Guy ducked, raising his scythe in an attempt to block the thing swinging at his head. The staff grazed the top of his head, while not fatal he was still knocked to the side.

Now Ruby was up and charging, having healed himself with a ritual, and swung his healing staff at the creature, landing a clean blow to the side of the head, and surprisingly the creature fell. It just... crumpled to the ground, having suffered severe head trauma. And from the wound it began to bleed. Was it... dead? Already?

But Bean and Steve weren't done yet, as the thing’s face was soaked in water. And then Steve, making sure it was connected to live electricity, broke a monitor screen over its head, causing it to electrocute. Ruby jumped away as the now lifeless body began to spasm. Then he glared at the two. “What was THAT for? He was down!”

Bean looked away. Steve simply said, “It was coming to him.”

* * *

There was no celebration as the four returned back to base. A weary Ruby noticed that the last of the flames on the outside has begun to go down. And as the entered the cave entrance, they all simply retired to bed. (Somebody had to fix a bed for Steve.)

Ruby’s last thoughts before he drifted to sleep were about the creature they had slain. What was it? Was there more? And what was it doing in the Grand Library ruins?

...but many miles away, at the top floors of the Library, something walked up to the dead body, stood over it. “Hmmph. To have been bested by mere humans... you had best hope you do not fail us again.”

The second cat-creature began to perform a slow ritual. The crumpled body before him began to glow blue, as it was infused with life. It coughed.

The standing animal growled, and spat in its direction. “Do not fail us again.” It walked away.

And that was that.


	6. Back to the Drawing Board

“Hhhm.”

A young user sat at the Drawing Board, pondering over his papers. He was in the process of trying to write a finale for his thrilling story. He was trying to figure out where the climax for the battle against the trolls would be held.

He’d already had Porple send a group of young Users to the darkest reaches of the Spam Vault, Troll Town, another dimension, a dark prison, a concentration camp and, for good measure, a space station where trolls were planning to blot out the Wiki with a giant laser. (Though, to be fair, Porple didn't send him there, his second did, as Porple was already murdered by a random troll invasion.)

He just had no ideas for his finale though. And this saddened him.

So he began to space out his sentences.

Just like this.

He hoped it would make it look more dramatic.

He also hoped it would make it look longer.

In the end though, he decided the final battle of the trolls would be a staged attack on the Wiki, and in the young writer’s mind, a classic was born. He’d have to show this to everyone when he was finished.

* * *

“Excuse me, but please get that out of my face,” Valentin said to the user shoving his new story into his view. He brushed the hand away and made for the mouth of the cave the Userpedians called home (Valentin hoped it would not be for much longer).

The user called after him, “But it’s _awesome!_ It has a SPACE STATION for God’s sake!”

Valen blinked. “What’s a space station? Anyway, I have important business regarding our safety, so if you don’t mind (Valen tapped his sword sheath to emphasise), I have to go.”

The user pouted for a few moments, and then walked off to find someone else to review his story.

Ruby was already outside, looking north, deep in thought. Valentin joined him, wondering if he was still thinking about the cat-creature he had found in the building. They had swapped stories, and Valentin had loudly wondered if the creature was the same as the orange something he had seen on the first day, amongst the fires. They both had come to an agreement that it probably was. Why, Ruby asked hypothetically, was the creature so interested in the Grand Library?

But they couldn't know for sure. So they put it aside and had moved onto the ever-present topic of moving Userpedia to a safer ground. Many days had passed now and the fires desecrating the land had died, leaving behind a dead landscape. The path to the north was clear, and seemed worn down, Ruby noticed. It seemed to be a well-used travel path, and the two guessed that it would be worn enough that it should give the refugees a wide berth from any flame that would stick around.

Valentin smiled a little at the sight. He said to Ruby, “So when do you think we’ll be able to move out?”

Ruby gave it some thought, staring up at the sky. “Depends,” he said finally, knowing it was a half-arsed answer. “If we don’t run into any trouble, we could be out of here by... say, tomorrow or something? Assuming we get everyone mobilised and packed up by the morning.. And assuming we don’t get attacked.”

“Hmm.” Valentin was silent for a while. “Do you think there are any more of whatever played havoc in the Library?”

“Maybe. There’d have to have been for that one to exist, but... I just don’t know...”

Valen nodded. Ruby turned to him. His tone had changed. “I’m going to need someone to scout the path, though, and see if it’s safe. Are you up for it?”

“Of course,” Valen grinned. “I’d be glad to.” He paused for a moment, in thought, and then asked, “I’ll need to bring someone along, won’t I?”

“For your safety as well as ours.” Ruby knew of his friend’s capacity for damage, but he wasn't willing to take any chances, and he had the idea that Valentin knew that as well. Better to be safe than sorry. “Actually, I think I’ll come along with you. I could use a stroll to clear my head.”

Valen nodded, glad. He had been worried about his friend after the attack he’d had a few days ago. He needed the fresh (well, not quite) air as much as he did.

And so the two set off to the north, the viability from moving from their dead homelands becoming very real to them as they scouted the path for any danger. But there did not seem to be any visible danger, and most of the fires in that area were subsiding.

* * *

Meanwhile, Guy was heading up the packing duty. Though he was uncertain when they would move, he had mentioned to some people that they should be ready to move at a moment’s notice, and so all non-essentials (including the small tents people had set up for themselves) would need to be packed away in case of an evacuation. For convenience, however, there was a cloth hung from roof to floor in a corner of the cave, for people to dress.

Some of the group were sad and annoyed that they would have to move away from their homeland. They said that wherever they stopped next would never be as good as where they used to live. Yes, it was sad, said one of the more respected members, but it was for a greater good, and, he hoped, for a chance of a future for the Userpedia legacy.

Steve chose to stick around, and was at that time miming “In A Gadda Da Vida” as he assisted the Heroes and Defenders in packing up. In a way, he was an honorary Hero, for without the Grand Library, Userpedia would have never been.

* * *

Soon though, night fell, and the Userpedians settled into their sleeping bags and drifted off to sleep.

Some who couldn't sleep, though, could not because of the light that emanated from a lantern, that sat at the “Drawing Board” as some members called it, the unofficial name for the writing desk where many great stories were born.

What Steve, who sat at the table writing, was making though was not a story. He was editing a page he had dug out from the Vault that contained all the user info, event info, stories, everything on Userpedia.

He was editing the Grand Mario Wiki Library’s page. He was adding a section to the bottom of the papers accompanying it, adding with a sigh, these words;

> _“The Library was destroyed in late August by a violent meteor shower of unknown cause, just after mid-day. It is believed that Steve was the only survivor, as only the people of Userpedia, situated outside the library, survived. All articles in the library were destroyed in the fire that ensued.”_

Steve sighed, and committed the page to the vault. Then he wet his fingers, and extinguished the lantern’s flame.

Then he went to bed.


	7. Escape

The Userpedia group was a hive of activity. A few days after the scouting mission, Ruby gave the OK to move out of the cave and begin trekking north, to the unknown lands.

They went in the night, when the heat of the lands had become quite manageable, and travelled by lantern. Despite most of the users being quiet, and a little worried about their surroundings, the mass sound of feet hitting the ground sounded like a stampede.

Some people were of course, sad about leaving their lands behind, and becoming nomads. Some said it was for the better. Others said the group would drift apart.

Nonetheless, they all travelled along the road, carrying supplies, talking to each other quietly, cautiously. At the head of the group was Ruby and Valentin, ever watchful, while interspersed with the group was Guy, Sir Ji, and some of the other Defenders and Heroes. Everybody was awake in some capacity, as they left the cave far behind them, and travelled into the rough terrain.

The terrain began to rise into mountains, and the further north they travelled, the colder it grew from the hot ground under them to soft dirt, as the group reached further and further into the cold, snowy mountains, the cold biting wind giving a few of them second thoughts.

It was (what felt like) hours later when, feet aching, stomachs empty, they reached a flat ground an hour or so into the mountains, the wind soft, and broken by the mountain the wind breathed behind, and set up camp. Those working on borrowed sleep collapsed in the tents constructed around them as blankets were dug out from storage, and users rugged up with as much thick, warm clothing as they had. And thus began their journey as refugees, from the dead lands searching for a new home.

* * *

Ruby surveyed the lands, wrapped in blankets as nobody had snowcoats or the like. There seemed to be only one path through the mountains they could take, and they were on it. The group wasn't very high up in the mountains, but they could see that the further they travelled through the range, the colder the trek would become, and the more snow would restrict their view.

The Hero climbed down from his little perch above the camp, and climbed down. Everybody was in some form of blanket, and Guy had his robes wrapped up extra tight. He immediately questioned Ruby as he came down from the perch. “Why are we going through this frozen wasteland? This truly can’t be the way to our new home.”

“There’s no telling at all where we could settle down. But, this was the way out from immediate danger, if you recall…”

“Sure, sure…” Guy shifted positions, wrapping his robes tighter for warmth. “But come on, we’re all freezing our asses off! This is no place for us to be.”

Ruby sighed. “Just believe that we can do it. It’s cliché, I know, but we have to have the will to push through this. I think we can do this.”

Valentin heard the conversation going on, and moved to join them. “Hell, for the sake of the Userpedians, we HAVE to do it.”

Guy frowned, but nodded. “I don’t like where we’re heading… but for the sake of them (He glanced at some of the people getting themselves warm) I will follow.”

Ruby smiled. “Thanks. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

A short time after that, the cry of “We've got a campfire!” from one user was enough to bring the conscious followers together, wrapped in their blankets as they could finally get warm. One of the group also used it to melt some chocolate and went around giving cups of hot chocolate to those who wanted it.

And so, the day was spent doing nothing, just keeping warm in the weather that tried to forbid it. Those who slept, with extra blankets wrapped around them, eventually woke and joined in, and the entire group acted more like a community, helping each other in this time of need.

Well, those who cared to help.

* * *

He had been tracking them through the mountains for a while, after scouting parties reported that the group of humans had been spotted heading north. The cat-creature didn't like having to chase these humans but he had to, for his tribe. He knew that they wanted to seize their information, and put them out of business permanently. He didn't know why, however. Still, orders were orders. And he just had to follow them.

His feet sank through the snow with each step, leaving deep prints in the snow. He knew he would easily be followed. But that wasn't anything to him. His mission was not one of stealth. It was that of the simple way their people hunted. None of his tricks.

The creature grunted, and adjusted his headgear as it slipped, the light blinding him momentarily as it shone at him from over the gear. He cursed at himself, and fit the adornment back in place over his eyes. “Curse the light”, he said in his native tongue.

It was only a consequence of his profession that he was essentially blind.

* * *

The group eventually succumbed to sleep, wrapping themselves in extra blankets or clothing in their tents. The Heroes, confident that the campfire would last til the morning, huddled in their beds, and slowly fell asleep.

It would still be a long trek to the mountains, but the first steps had been taken, and as long as they kept up hope, the Heroes and the Defenders were confident that they would push through to the other side. What would they find there...?


	8. Cold Hearts

Userpedia; the informal community where people gathered together as friends. They had had to relocate from the burning lands of Scribbalon, but they never thought that the frozen lands of... Freezy Cold Land (the person who makes names for the cartographer is on vacation) would contain them, as they pushed ever onward, as the sunlight provided what little warmth it could as they trudged on through the snowy mountains.

A lot of the Userpedians in the group were not prepared for such weather, and so progress was slow-going. But they kept pushing forward, ever hopeful that the snowfall and the terrible wind might stop. Alas, it was simply wishful thinking.

* * *

It had seemed the humans had been here recently, and were still alive. Their trails were all over this clearing, as well as some hastily left-behind items. He estimated that they wouldn't be far from here, if he was fast.

He wondered why his tribe leader was so intent on his retrieving what important info these humans possessed... these humans who seemed to fashion themselves “Userpedians”, whatever that word meant. But it was his duty to retrieve this information, come hell or high water. He thought to himself grimly, “ _even if that means I freeze to death getting the information back to them_.”

He trudged onward.

* * *

Ruby and Valentin lead the marching group on a descent from a particularly steep mountain. It was slow going while everybody tried to keep a firm footing on the ground and carry their supplies at the same time. It wasn't too successful, and a few simply tumbled down into the valley below, at the foot of the mountain. Ruby sighed. He looked at the sun, trying to determine how much time had passed, and glanced over his shoulder at the Userpedians struggling with the slope.

He called out, “Let’s make for that valley and setup camp.”

About half an hour later, Userpedians were eating, drinking, replenishing their energies. As they relaxed (sort of), the Heroes and Defenders separated from the main camp, and began to talk stories.

* * *

The man in the black robe, hood pulled over his face, essentially ignored the cold wind as he travelled, far away. He had been exiled from the lands to the west, by the King himself. There were people that he would miss, of course, but the land he had left had no worth to him.

He was the King’s bodyguard, a highly regarded honour. At first he was loyal, happy to serve his king for the good of the people. But he soon began to despise how the country was being run, and had openly spoken to the King of his opinion. His undoing had come when he had had enough of the King’s rule, and seeked to destroy him.

He was of course apprehended on the spot, his scythe confiscated and destroyed, and led out to the edge of the kingdom, and thrown out. He was hereby barred from entering the land of the Ares Lid, on pain of death. The guard reading out the notice took great pleasure in reading the king’s threats on what would happen, should the ex-bodyguard return.

And so he ventured forth into the snow, his soul darkened by exile. The snow blew past him, his feet sunk deep into the snow as he ventured ever further.

He decided the king’s threats meant nothing compared to a slow, frozen death.

* * *

The creature stood, his vision limited by the snow, as he watched the humans pack their camp. He had covered his fur in snow and so looked almost hidden. He thought to himself why these humans would be trusted with sensitive information; examining them from in his position he thought some of them looked too young. They mustn't have passed the Rituals of Truth, he thought. Well, their human equivalent.

Still, the huge chest that they carried with them... that peaked his interest. Perhaps this is where some of the leaders did hide their precious information...

He made a decision then. He would infiltrate their camp under the cover of darkness. This is how it must be.

* * *

“So, you see, because they had accidentally unleashed this power, Userpedia was defenseless, right?” One of the users said, with a wave of his hand. “So they end up having to form a kind of superhero group and work together to be able to...”

The group was indeed chatty, keeping their minds off the weather and their situation. As they moved further north, the air only seemed to grow colder, more violent as it pushed and tossed the drifting snow across the land.

Travelling on smoother slopes now, they travelled faster, pushing onwards. Ruby was tired, but continued to lead. He hoped, for himself and for the sake of the people following him, that they found proper shelter soon.

Guy came up beside him, wrapped up in an extra robe. “Ruby, it seems there’s a rumour circulating around this area. A race of humans acclimated to these mountains reside somewhere in this region. Assuming it is true, we may be able to gather food and supplies from them.”

Ruby nodded, but was skeptical. “I’m not sure this is such a good idea. If we end up running out of supplies because of the thin hope there may be a people that can help us, and there doesn't turn out to be any, we’re screwed. But if we do manage to run into anyone living here, every little bit helps.”

He sighed. “We’re consuming a lot more food and drink each day, just because of this place. I do hope that you’re right. But...” Ruby frowned, trying to put what he wanted to say into words. “I... don’t think that we should bet our lives on it yet.”

Guy nodded, thinking. “I think it may be best if we aim to conserve supplies, even if we aren't in these damned mountains. There still might not be a society around.”

“Yes... you’re right. Alright. Try and get people to conserve their food supplies. The long we can keep that going, the more chance we have of survival.”

Ruby looked up to the skies. The sun was hidden behind a heavy snow cover. “But... the longer we stay in this frozen hell hole...”

They were met as the darkness fell by a group of bearded, heavily-armored humans, supposedly on patrol. The leader introduced himself as Captain Ironhammer.

“I’m, er, Ruby sir, Hero of Userpedia and... Scribbalon refugee. That counts for all of us.”

“Ah!” The Captain grinned, and ordered his men to lower their weapons. “What news of the south?”

“It burns, Captain. We are all cold and low on supplies. We seek to find lands further north where we may resettle.”

“A noble purpose indeed!” He said, scratching his beard. “Our settlement is not far, but you would not get fifty paces in this weather at night!” Ironhammer paused, looking around. “Ah! It’ll be best if your lot set up camp around here. Get yerselves warm. We’ll send some extra supplies to keep you going overnight, and direct you to our home in the mornin’, should yer survive.” The captain lifted his double-bladed axe onto his shoulder, the blade resting against the steel shoulder-plates.

“Thank you, Captain,” Ruby said, happily. “Your service is of utmost help.”

And so camp was set up, and with the help of these snow-dwelling humans extra food and supplies were delivered. The users, much happier, celebrated long into the night, while the Heroes and Defenders feasted in their tent. It was truly a celebration of being alive; a celebration that their quest would continue; a celebration of the continuation of the Userpedian legacy.

* * *

A pair of eyes watched them from the snow as the last users retired to their tents, the campfire casting a warm glow. The eyes waited ten minutes. Twenty minutes. After half an hour of no sound from the camp, the large cat-like creature rose from his hiding place in the snow, shivering. He hoped he would never have to be so cold again. Nonetheless, this was his chance, he thought to himself, as he slowly, silently, tread across the snow toward the camp. His vision may have been blinded by the headwrap he wore around his eyes, but he could sense the bodies around the camp as he tread carefully.

There it was. The creature’s vision took in the ornate chest, to one side of the camp. This was his chance to find out what the humans were hiding. He felt for the catches. Flipped them open. He picked out one piece of paper and held it to his eyes.

… He could not read it. However hard he tried, he could not sense what was written upon them. The creature sighed. He began to slip off the headwrap, and try reading it with his own eyes... when another creature stopped him. One of his tribe. He could tell by the scent.

It said, in their native tongue, quietly so as to not wake the humans, “Your tribe has tricked you. These are not documents that would help leverage our power over the humans. These are only stories that the humans have conjured up.”

The first creature cursed, in the same language. “You mean they... you... have lead me on a mission of nothing? What is the meaning of this treachery?!”

“Your tribe tires of you. You are not like us. You are but nothing to us now.”

The first creature snarled. “How dare you say such a thing! In other circumstances I would tear out your rib cage and feed your body to your own children. If there is nothing for us here, we must return quickly to our own--”

The shaman tutted, and raised his staff. “There is no ‘we’ here. The humans will surely slaughter you, and as they do I shall be anywhere but here.”

The blind creature was furious! He spoke violently, in the human tongue. “I shall see you roast in hell for what you've done to me!”

The creature simply smirked. “Goodbye, Aurenn.” He darted off, heading south, directly away from the camp, and was gone before anyone realized.

The remaining creature simply looked down at the document he held in his paw. He wanted to tear it up. He wanted to burn the entire chest! He was so infuriated that--

“Drop it.”

Aurenn froze. He cursed the tribe that led him to his demise. He slowly replaced the story back in the chest, and closed it.

“That’s a very bad habit you have there. I can imagine talking to yourself would be a lot more helpful if you weren't robbing us.”

The creature felt the sharp prick of a sword point against his neck. He was now certain that he was going to die. A fitting end, Aurenn thought to himself.

Valentin kept the sword point level. He was fully dressed in his light blue clothing and seemed to be still awake. He didn't want to let this monster have the chance to destroy them all. He called for Ruby, not daring to move an inch.

* * *

Valentin later regretted obeying Ruby’s order to tie the creature up and let him freeze until the morning, but he did as he was told. Resigned to his fate, Aurenn simply did as he was told. He said nothing. His face betrayed nothing.

But in his head, Aurenn simply regretted becoming a part of the tribe that plotted his death.


	9. Scribbalon's Lament

Morning, in the snowy Omate Mountains. As the camp woke up, there was a large hubbub about the immobile, orange cat-like creature that was tied up just outside camp, and Ruby tried to disperse the crowd to no avail. He couldn’t blame them, really; but he wasn’t sure what to do with the creature that had infiltrated their camp in the night. What appeared to be the same creature he, and the Great Library taskforce had killed, even. How was he still alive?

He didn’t have to dwell on this for long, as an escort squad of snow dwellers arrived by the camp to direct the Userpedians to their settlement. They took over from Valen and Guy, who had been holding their blades over Aurenn’s exposed neck, should he think about escaping. Surprising to the Defenders though, was how he didn’t fight back at all. He simply lay there, unable to move, waiting for his inevitable death.

The Userpedians followed Captain Uric Ironhammer and his squad northeast, to a large opening in one of the mountains. It seemed impressive, even of itself. But inside they travelled, deeper and deeper underground, and the Userpedians began to see how these snow dwelling humans lived, as they entered an underground city, carved out of the very mountains themselves. It was like a testament to human achievement, to survive long enough in the mountains to create... this.

The people that lived here were grateful to see new faces, and helped the Userpedians to get themselves fed and watered. The users were themselves happy to be out of the cold weather and to have a real meal.

They were allowed to stay in the empty hostel block at one end of the city, which they were all grateful for. It may have been basic furnishings, but after what they had been through they were simply grateful. They simply settled down and talked, dug into some real food, and relaxed.

* * *

Ruby, however, needed to sort out food supplies and discuss matters. He met with the leader of the snow dweller humans, Thal Rosaro, over a hearty lunch.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, sir.”

Thal smiled and raised his glass. “‘Tis not often we get visitors from the outside, friend! Especially with the story we heard.” He took a sip of the hot chocolate. “Poor Scribbalon... I regret it took this long for the news to reach me. Yes... we kept up trade relations with the king, you know. We would send some of the ores from these mountains, and they would send us food, armor... Aah, ‘tis such a shame.”

Ruby simply nodded. “Agreed, sir. The lands have been a loss to us all.”

“Oh yes...” Thal sipped quietly while Ruby paused to eat some of the roast that had been prepared for the lunch. “So! I’ve heard your group are in need of food and blankets.”

“That’s correct, sir. We are admittedly a large group, and we are unused to such cold weather. We seek to head north, and find a new home amongst the lands.”

Thal nodded. “Not a small task indeed. These mountains stretch hundreds of miles to the north, I fear your group may not survive.” He paused, giving the matter some thought. “I can certainly offer some of our foods from Scribbalon, and perhaps fit your fighting men with armor.”

Ruby grinned. Now we’re talking, he thought. “That sounds wonderful, sir. But will armor be enough to protect us from the cold?”

“Ah... I hadn’t accounted for that,” Thal admitted. “See, we were raised in these mountains, underground. We’re used to the cold. I’m sure our crafters can fashion some fur coats.”

Ruby was amazed. He didn’t think these people would be able to help. But it seemed that the trade relations this place had paid off. “That’s very noble of you, sir. I hope we will not be a burden.”

“Not at all! Feel free to stay and recompose yourselves for a few days. you must be tired.”

“Thank you, sir.” They both stood up, and shook hands.

Thal did seem to remember something, and spoke up. “I will impart some advice, friend... head to the east, into the grasslands, before you continue your journey. You will not last long if you continue into the snow.”

Ruby nodded. “Thank you, I will certainly take that into consideration.” He glanced at somebody who was walking towards them.

“Excuse me sir,” he said, bowing, “is this your guest Ruby?”

“That’s correct, messenger. What news do you bring?”

The messenger nodded to Ruby; Ruby smiled. He continued, “Ruby’s prisoner has been delivered to the jail cells. I was told you intended to question him?”

Ruby nodded, these people were efficient. “That’s correct. Thank you.” To Thal he bowed and said, “It’s been a pleasure, sir.” Then he left.

* * *

Aurenn hung pitifully from the wall, his arms and legs both shackled against the cold stone. His inner thoughts repeated the moment of his betrayal, over and over. It was all he could think about since the humans didn’t seem to be interested in killing him.

He was still wearing his headwrap, and didn’t care to sense anything around him. He knew it was the same room, in the same place. He wondered briefly if it was indeed his fate to die here, when the cell door creaked open. The creature glanced upward. He instantly recognised the human who came in. Aurenn snarled, but otherwise said nothing.

Ruby’s face was blank as he stood at the other end of the cell, his arms crossed. “You’re doing pretty alright for a corpse.”

Silence.

The human’s expression turned serious. “Forget that you’re supposed to be dead. Why would you come this far just to kill us or... make off with our chest?”

…

“My friend tells me you know what’s in there. Why would it be of interest to you?”

Aurenn thought to himself. _As much as I could not say anything... the humans haven’t slaughtered me yet. That’s already saying a lot more than my-- ...than the tribe._

Ruby noticed the confusion in this prisoner’s eyes. He didn’t know why, but that seemed to relax him. “What would you want from us? We don’t have anything that you or your species could possibly want.” He sighed, stating the obvious. “Unless you simply wanted to kill us.”

… “My tribe. Not me.”

“Oh, so you can speak.” Ruby double-checked that the cell door was unlocked. “There’s no need to stay quiet. You’re already--”

“Shame.” Aurenn seemed to look over at Ruby. Ruby thought he could see pain in the creature’s facial features, but in an instant it seemed to disappear. “My duty is to my tribe.”

“Where is this ‘tribe’? Can we expect to see them attacking us here too like you did?”

… “No.”

“You... came here on your own?” Ruby wasn’t sure he liked where this was going, but at least this... thing was co-operating.

“No.”

“How many others came with you?” The creature before Ruby, he noticed, seemed to speak a kind of disjointed English.

“One. He is gone.”

“Why?”

“I was left here.”

“To kill us?”

Aurenn growled. “No. To die.”

Ruby blinked, and as the creature let that sink in he seemed to realise that he was now working alone.

He began to speak, but the orange-furred creature cut him off. “Do you know what it means to lose the people closest to you?”

“We lost the Great Library.” Ruby choked as he spoke the words. It was a very sensitive memory. “A lot of my friends died...”

“Have you been a servant to those people, and only been rewarded with death and betrayal by your own kind?”

“Well... no... but--”

“You do not know the pain I feel.”

Ruby sighed. He was beginning to sympatheise, but this thing was making it difficult. “That’s all for now,” he said, and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

Ruby paused.

“Why have you not killed me again? I must know.”

_Jeez, this creature sure is obsessed with his death._ “I don’t like to kill when I don’t need to. I would have ordered it when I heard you were here... but... something about a fierce thing like you looking at our stories seemed out of place. I wanted to get the full story before I made any decisions.”

… “You are soft, human. We kill our prisoners. If one is smart, they would not cross us in the first place.”

Ruby turned serious again, and opened the cell door to leave. “Then be glad you’re not with your own kind.”

The door shut with a clang.


	10. Justice

A feast! A real, bonafide feast! For the people who had ventured through the snow in a limited supply, the Userpedians (those who wanted to eat) simply devoured anything in sight. Thal, the leader of the snow dweller humans, was amazed, as was Uric Ironhammer, captain of the military division and right-hand man.

Then again, you couldn’t blame them.

Discussion in the great hall where they ate, in the underground city of the Snow Dwellers, was lively. “So I was thinking about this new idea...” “Is this villain overused yet?” “There’s this girl, right?” The users relaxed, and ate, ignoring the freezing weather aboveground.

On the main table, Ruby, Guy, Ji, Valentin and the other Heroes and Defenders joined Thal, Uric and their top men in their own feast, discussing plans. In the middle of the table was a map of the snow mountains and the surrounding areas, with the city marked in a red circle. It was only a fifth of the way through the mountains, which expanded far into the north, yet closer to the east, to the grasslands.

“Assume you left tomorrow morning,” Thal said, pointing at a dotted path on the map leading east. “This path through the mountains has been well-worn, and should provide protection from most of the elements. That is, barring the event of a wall cave-in. You could get to the otherside by sundown.”

Guy looked at the map. “How likely is that?”

Uric took the lead. “Not very, we’ve transported supplies to our contacts via this route many times. Though, we’ve never had to accommodate such a large group.”

Valentin sipped at the goblet of wine provided to each of them. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Not if you all travel lightly. That might mean leaving us to transport your equipment some other way.”

Ruby glanced up from his meal. “Do tell.”

Thal spoke up again. “We told you that we had a supply route to Scribbalon, yes? There is another route to our outpost in the grasslands. We will show you soon. It only takes a few hours but we must make sure that everything is very, very secure.”

Ji, not having spoken much at all, spoke up. “Only a few hours, you say? You mustn’t have been able to accomplish that using conventional means, then.”

Thal eyed him. “It is enchanted. We fill it up, send it on its way. It follows a rail system so it cannot get lost. Arrives at the other end in perfect condition.”

“That’s amazing. I can’t see why Scribbalon didn’t have this technology.”

“Well, necessity is the mother of invention, as they say. You just have to find the right application for it.”

“Amen”, Ruby said, and the table resumed eating.

* * *

He stood at the gates to the underground city. The hooded man was shivering and his body blue from hypothermia, yet here he was.

The person cradled the shard of ice he had broken from one of the mountains in his hands. If this was the right place... He was back in business.

* * *

The supply shaft stretched for miles to the south and east. The rails travelled into the distance, into the darkness. Thal, Uric and Ruby had travelled under the city to visit the supply station and the supply carts. They were carved out of rock, with iron rails attached to the bottom, supposedly for travelling along the supply lines. While the carts were not very deep (though deep enough for carrying armor and such) they would be able to fit the Userpedian storage chest well enough. They would need an additional cart to carry the rest of the equipment, but it seemed satisfactory.

“I’m really impressed, I’ll admit,” Ruby said as they headed back up to the city. “And that would meet us up in the grasslands?”

“That’s right!” Uric said. “Less work for yer men, and the quicker you make it to warmer climates.”

Ruby nodded. “Always a plus.”

Thal cut in. “Now, giving it some thought, you guys haven’t actually been to the grasslands before, have you?”

“Well, not personally...”

“Hmm. Well, about your friend in the jail...”

* * *

The door to his jail cell creaked open. Aurenn sensed someone enter. It must have been one of the more brutish humans that had taken him here. He grunted in acknowledgement, and turned his senses to more important thoughts.

He heard a loud metal ‘clink’ and his right leg came free from the chain. This person was releasing him from the wall. “What are you doing, human?”

“Boss feels he can afford to grant you a little more movement. You’re still restricted to this cell until further notice, but now you can move. Be grateful.” The human undid the last of the chains and Aurenn fell to the floor with a heavy thump. The guard smirked, and simply left.

The tall creature climbed to his feet and brushed dust out of his fur, cursing silently to himself. He began to pace back and forth in his cell. In a way he thought being chained to a wall and at least being able to meditate was less boring than being allowed to pace back and forth and have absolutely nothing to do.

Some time passed before he sensed that human coming again. He spoke loudly, “It must be nice having someone to torment, mustn’t it?”

Ruby spat, “shut up,” as he walked up to the cell, standing outside it. … More calmly, “Actually, don’t. I need to question you some more.”

“I’m not going anywhere, human.”

“Good. What do you know of the grasslands to the east?”

Aurenn looked up at the human, unsure whether to be amused or angry. “You would dare venture through our lands?”

Ruby cursed under his breath. _Crap, Thal was right._ “We’re looking for a safe passage north through your territory. Preferably one that won’t lead us right into a bunch of your friends.”

To himself Aurenn thought, _bah, friends._ “You should consider going underground, and not walking in the open with a large group of humans. You only invite death.”

Aurenn found himself the target of a lightning bolt emanating from Ruby’s staff. The creature shook, his body coursing with electricity that eventually left him. He collapsed, to the grim look in Ruby’s eye. “Watch your next words, worm. I am authorized to eliminate you if I need to.”

The creature, visibly singed, scowled with open hatred. “You should learn to stitch yourself back together, human. The insect who guides you will surely be smarter than your so-called leader.”

Ruby smirked. “Oh, I doubt it... insect.”

“You wouldn’t dare. I will not stoop so low.”

“You can and will. You’re not through with us yet.”


	11. Tonight We Dine...

It was the evening of the day they had arrived at the underground cities in the Omake Mountains. A group of users, along with Guy, Ruby and Valentin, as well as some Defenders, helped carry their equipment downstairs, to the supply dock. From there, the snow dweller humans would load it into the carts that would meet them at the other side.

  
“If this works it could revolutionize transportation,” said Ruby to Guy as they carried some of the tent equipment down. The Userpedia Chest, already fitted in the second cart which was attached to the first, was partially covered in tent cloth, so as to mask it from anyone who might have had ill intentions. Ruby and Guy set down their equipment on the stone beside the two carts.

  
“Yeah, but we're essentially trusting these people whom we don't know, with all our stuff,” Guy retorted. A nearby snow dweller grunted. “If this doesn't work or we can't reach the other end, Userpedia is essentially done for.”

  
Ruby glanced over at him, critically. “You don't trust people outside our lot, do you?”

  
Guy shook his head, and pulled back the sleeve of his right arm, revealing its mechanical nature. “How do you think I got this?”

  
“Oh...” Ruby sighed as his friend pulled his sleeve back over his arm. “Fair enough, I suppose. “Do you trust /me/ on this?”

  
“Well... I do...” Guy looked a bit uncomfortable. “It mightn't feel right to me, but I trust that you can do this.”

  
Ruby smiled. “Thanks. Let's go finish getting the stuff, yeah?”

* * *

Nin Ji, former swordsman of the Royal Scribbalonian Army. Oh, how those words sounded hollow to him now.

  
He remembered his excitement when he was ready to succeed his father in the king's personal army. He remembered making sure his armor and his cape were just right for the enemies he would slaughter.

  
He remembered the look of glee sliding off his face when he realised that the king would not be sending him into battle.

  
And that there wouldn't be a battle at all.

  
In a way, he was glad for the hellfire that signalled the destruction of his lands and his king; he was bored to death of politics. He wanted action! He wanted to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies before he impaled them on his sword!

  
Then he remembered his childhood friend. That one who he'd heard was leading a thing called Userpedia, whatever it was. He and his friends would surely have trouble amongst all the fire, and whatever could be out there...

  
Ji's thoughts snapped back to the present as somebody entered the blacksmith, as he sharpened his sword. Somebody in a black robe came in, noticed the whetstone, said “Excellent..” in a quiet voice, and walked over to the stone, beginning to carve a... piece of ice, focused. Nin Ji raised an eyebrow, but otherwise kept to himself. In his head though, he thought, _just great. We certainly need a generic black-hooded dude around here. *sigh*_

* * *

Aurenn, not for the first time, considered life over death. On one hand, he granted, the humans were more forgiving than his own kind. On the other, though, he felt he had disgraced the tribe beyond the point of retribution. But, he wondered if, now that his tribe had abandoned him, he didn't need to worry about them.

  
But he wasn't too worried about that because the humans had decided to cuff his paws behind his back and use him as some kind of guide...animal. _Oh, the humiliation,_ he thought. He both hated and respected the leader of these humans, and he thought he understood why he was taking these measures. It didn't make it any less humiliating though, to feel subject to the whim of these humans.

  
As it was though, he padded around his cell, cuffed. He noticed he was really hungry, hadn't eaten much in days. He tapped on the metal of the cell, his claws 'clink'ing against the bars. Someone came around.

  
Aurenn sighed to himself, realising he was giving in somewhat. “I'm hungry,” he said. “Really hungry. Would you send something here for me?”

  
The guard smirked. “So you've finally broken. Sure, I'll get something.” He walked off as the creature scowled at the back of his head. He was just too hungry to make him pay for that line.

  
He prayed to himself that the humans were merciful.

* * *

Thal Rosaro, leader of the snow dweller humans, stood before the Userpedians as he made his speech in the ampitheatre. Ruby stood to his left. Uric to his right.

  
“The first steps of your epic journey has begun!” He cried out to the crowd. “The actions you take in these days must be taken with care, for the legacy of Userpedia must be preserved! But I must also leave with you a difficult task... to preserve yourselves, the last known living humans of the Scribbalonian lands.” He let that sink in.

  
“There are no doubt many obstacles you will face on your travels. But have faith in yourselves! It is through your noble cause and your tools that you will prevail!” There was a small cheer from the crowd.

  
Thal continued. “I fully believe that you have the will to bend your enemies to your cause, and to end those that dare oppose you!”

  
There was a considerable bit less cheer. Most of the Userpedians just looked around, confused. Probably thinking, _we wouldn’t do that... would we?_

  
Ruby nodded at Thal, who stepped back. It was their leader’s turn to speak now. “My friends, we came here on our journey to restore our community’s name and to keep it alive. We have also come here as we have fled from our burning land. We will be fully rested, fully fed, and prepared for the journey ahead thanks to Thal and the rest of the snow dwellers here.”

  
He turned to Thal and Uric, and bowed graciously. “Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for assisting us in our time of need. May your people live long and prosper.”

  
Cheering from the Userpedian crowd and from the natives were loud as Ruby shook hands with both Thal and Uric, with a wide smile on his face. He turned back to the crowd. “Userpedia shall survive, with all of us here to guide it!”

  
His crowd cheered onwards, as Ruby stepped down. He was totally set to begin the trek. He believed in his people, and his friends, and he believed that they would all make it to settle in the new land, wherever it was.

* * *

It was night, or so the light from outside showed, when Ruby finally went to retire in the hostel given to the Heroes and Defenders. He walked up to the door and moved to open it, when somebody spoke to him, in a voice he had never heard before.

  
“Quite a speech you gave out there.”

  
Ruby whirled around.

  
It was a man in black robes. His skin seemed to be blue from the cold. And in his hands he carried a scythe, with a pole carved out of the rocks and a blade carved of ice. There seemed to be an aura around the ice blade, and Ruby wondered if it would ever melt.

  
Ruby tried to resist the urge to draw out the air staff that was tucked around his belt. “...Thank you. I really don’t know why you’re insisting on talking to me alone at night, though. And you should probably stick to warmer climates. You look like a corpse.”

  
“Heh. Sounds about right, doesn’t it?” He tapped the butt of his scythe against the hard ground. “On a mission such as yours, you’ll want every fighter you can get your hands on.”

  
“So you’re looking to join us, looking like Death in a freezer?” Ruby said, a bit too soon. “Wait, I mean, er... sorry.”

  
“Don’t be. It is the look I go for, heh.” The figure seemed to smirk, but Ruby couldn’t tell. “But no, I do not wish to join... yet. I have things to settle, and I must observe if you are worthy of my assistance.”

  
_Oh, great, a nutjob._ “Worthy? Okay...” Ruby shifted his stance. “Well, we’ll be leaving at dawn. If you absolutely insist on stalking us, that is.” He opened the door. “Now I must retire to bed. It is a long day ahead.”

  
“Of course.” The figure watched him leave, then turned and walked down to the bar.


	12. Breaking

The sun rising over the mountains saw the Userpedian group already on their way east, already desperate to get out of the biting cold of the snow. Their group now contained one more member, who was under close guard by the Defenders as they kept their eyes on the creature carrying most of their gear like a packmule.

Aurenn had lost most of his fighting spirit - he just carried the gear quietly, blindly, without a sound. He and the Defenders keeping watch over him were situated behind the group. The Userpedians were nervous about having the creature around them, but nonetheless they travelled, the quiet, tense atmosphere eventually dispersing into chatter, as they kept their new fur coats wrapped tightly around them.

The mountains around them grew warmer as they travelled further east over the next few hours, and the terrain became less desolate and snowy. The sight of patches of dirt among the snow in the afternoon was cause for celebration and cheer, but the Defenders still kept their eyes trained on Aurenn, their weapons never lowered, never giving Aurenn a single chance to strike.

They had reached upon the borders of the grasslands when night had well and truly fell, and everybody was exhausted, so Ruby called the order stop for the night and set up camp. As the users laughed and chatted amongst themselves, he oversaw the unloading of equipment from Aurenn’s body a ways away from camp. Once the last bag was unloaded from his back, without a word he collapsed onto the damp grass, having carried the large weight all day, and fell into a dreamless sleep as the Defenders tied him down.

Ruby walked over to Valentin, who had finished tying the last rope around the creature’s wrist. “How’d it go?”

Valentin frowned. “Went perfect, actually... he didn’t make a single noise, or try to escape. Kind of strange, actually. That... thing looks to be quite aggressive.”

Ruby nodded. “I don’t think it knows what it wants. There’s something odd about the way we found him on the first night.”

“Well...” Valentin thought for a moment. “I think we did hear two voices, or he might have been talking to himself. Heh, yeah,” he said with a smirk. “He’s probably nuts.”

Ruby shook his head. “I doubt it. If you heard two voices, or at least heard a conversation there was probably two of them out there. One is this guy,” he jerked his head at the sleeping figure, “We know that for sure. If there was another one out there, where are they?”

“What do you reckon then? He probably won’t bother to talk to us.”

“I don’t know about that. Something tells me he’s not used to being reduced to just a packanimal like this, and imprisoned. Let’s just see what he does.”

* * *

The world around them became greener and greener as they travelled, the weather warmer as they progressed. Today, as they travelled, the group surrounding Aurenn was at the fore, the creature with less fight in him than ever. He simply carried without a noise, though to himself he wished that he had a drink.

His extrasensory vision detected a figure above them; a robed figure, sitting, watching them from up in a tree, behind the cover of foliage. He spoke aloud, in English, “There is somebody watching us.”

The Defenders, weapons trained on him, glanced backward through the group, then back at the creature. One of them smirked. “D’you think we don’t know you can’t see a thing, you stupid creature?”

Ruby, who was nearby, said to them, “Actually, he’s right. I don’t know where this intruder is, but...”

And he relayed the story of the robed figure’s meeting with him to the group. When he was finished, the group looked around them again.

Valentin poked Aurenn in the back with the elemental staff he carried. “Oy. Where did you ‘see’ this guy?”

The thing scowled. “I would think you humans would have more of an attachment with using names rather than noises. Regardless...” He glanced up toward the trees, the sunlight glinting on the creature’s ornate headwrap. He wondered if his vision was deceiving him; there was nobody there anymore. The scowl on Aurenn’s mouth twitched. “He seems to have moved on, if the human’s story is true.”

Ruby frowned. “You’re not one to talk about names. Come to think about it...” He thought, trying to remember. “We’ve never actually learned each other’s names.”

Aurenn glanced at the human. “I suppose not. My- …” He paused, forcing himself to say the word. “My tribe used to call me by the name of Aurenn.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow, undetected by the blind creature. “Used to? How about now?”

The large creature allowed a grim smile. “Now, human? Now, they call me... scum. A waste of resources. For all they know and care... I am no longer alive.”

Ruby hadn’t quite expected this, and he faltered. The guard continued in silence.

* * *

The sight of a small, yet wide wooden building was a change in the thickening forest they were entering. The travelling group stopped, and waited as Ruby and Valentin, bringing the creature of second sight with them, looked inside.

The inside of the building was dark, even with windows cut in the sides. Ruby and Valentin both unhooked their staves from their belts as Aurenn padded around the inside of the building quietly. Valentin whispered something, unintelligible to the furry creature, and from Valentin’s staff erupted a ball of light, like a torch, that lit up the room.

This seemed to be the docking station for the cargo transport line from the stone dwellers’ city, judging by the equipment laying around. Their suspicions were confirmed when, at the far end of the building, a minecart track rose up from a tunnel into the building, and a few carts had halted at the end of the line, carrying their tents, their fiction chest, and other things that belonged to the Userpedians.

Ruby grinned. “It worked! This is everything we loaded back in the stone city!”

Valentin smiled. “Excellent. Well, let’s go unload, shall we?”

With the help of Aurenn, the carts were forced off of their track and brought outside, where everyone took something to help out. It was only afternoon, but Ruby decided that the return of their things was cause enough to let everyone relax.

* * *

The equipment off his back, the creature sat in the trees, away from the group. He was deep in thought as Ruby spotted him and came over. As he sat down nearby, Aurenn spoke. “You have quite a following.”

“It’s not quite that, but... we have a common purpose. And somebody with the ability to guide them, especially in a situation like this...”

“And they trust you?”

“Sure. I’ve been around for years, not just leading, but helping people with their troubles, entering things into the chest. That sort of thing. They know I am loyal to them, and so they are loyal to me, and my Defenders.”

“I... do not understand... Ruby.” He said the name as if in a strange language.

“Does your species not believe in loyalty?”

“No. Only trust.” He was silent for a moment, then looked in Ruby’s direction, almost seeming to look inside of him. “You are a person that would seem to understand. You have earned your people’s trust. But you fail to do something that your people would hope so much for, and they lose your trust. But you are always given a chance to redeem yourself.”

Ruby stayed quiet. It seemed best to him not to interrupt.

Indeed, Aurenn continued. “The tribe I used to be affiliated with... you only had one chance. Or... maybe it was that only I had one chance to them.

“When I failed to capture the massive building your kind called home, even as it was burning and in ruin, that was my first and only chance to prove myself. But they lied to me, pretended that it it was not over for me, and sent me after you as you headed for the snow. I didn’t like it. But I followed you, alone, or as alone as I thought I was, I was further and further away from them, which I suppose they wanted.

“Then the night of my capture. They had told me you were holding important weapons or documents about untold treasures, the secrets of your kind.”

Aurenn stopped, incensed with himself. He was reliving these events inside of his head, putting the pieces together in his head.

“The scout of my tribe... he had followed me since I left, making sure I was led into your hands, without a chance. And that was exactly what happened, wasn’t it?”

Ruby nodded quietly. “You yelled at somebody... we woke up, our air elementalist caught you, and you were put under arrest. And yet, you were okay confiding this info to us. I’d wondered why.”

The orange creature grunted. “I thought I would be dead by now.”

“So what do you feel now?”

“This seems to be the best time to strike out on my own, after I have fulfilled my duty here. I don’t think there is anything else for me to do.”

Ruby nodded. “Whatever you decide... don’t let yourself be used like you were by your tribe. I’m sorry to hear about what lengths they took to get rid of you.” He stood up, making to rejoin the group. “Take care. Be ready for tomorrow morning.”

Aurenn nodded quietly, and closed his second sight to the world, meditating.


End file.
